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(No Model.) 7 5 Sheets--Sheet 1. W. (J. EDGE.

Machine for Making Wire Tubes.

, No. 242,616. Patented June 7,1881.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. 0. EDGE. Machine for Making Wire Tubes.

Patented June 7, 3881.

Hill

N. PETER$ Pnwumo m. Washington. a. c.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3;

W. 0. EDGE. Machine for Making Wire Tubes. N0, 242,6i6; Patented June7,1888.

W1 in sses' 12 1 W ni'qrn' (No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 4.

W. C. EDGE. Machine for Making Wire Tubes. No. 242,615. Patentedune7,188i.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5;.

w. 0. EDGE. Machine for Making Wire Tubes. No. 242,616. Paten't'edJune7,1881.

Witnesses.

u. wanna Pholo-Lilhognpher, Washington a. c.

' UNTTE STATES PATENT 'EETCE.

WILLIAM 0. EDGE, OF NEWARK, NEW JEn'sEY.

MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE TUBES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,616, dated June '7,1881.

Application filed November 29, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, \VILLIAM' 0. EDGE, ofNewark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have inven ted anew and Improved Machine for Making XV ire Tubes, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements on the machine whichis'described in Letters Patent No. 127,227, dated May28, 1872, and hasreference to the making of wire tubes eitherforjewelersorothcr purposes.The principal object of the present machine is to permit of continuousoperation of one machine.

The machine described in the aforementioned Letters Patent makes thetube in a vertical position and around a guide-rod, and when the end ofthe guide-rod is reached the machine has to be stopped and the finishedtube taken off and the new tube started.

My present invention enables me to operate the machine continuously whenonce started. It need never be stopped, as no dependence is placed uponany guide-rod around which the finished tube is held.

The present invention consists of variousdetails of improvement, such asa new crimping device, a new device for contracting the crimps that arefirst formed by toothed wheels, a new loop-expander forenlargingtheloops that have been put through finished meshes of the wire fabric,new mechanism for feeding the finished fabric continuously, and therebypresenting the meshes already formed to the loops of the crimped wirefor connection therewith, all as hereinafter more fully described.

Other details of improvement will also be hereinafter referred to.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a rear elevation of myimproved machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, of thesame. Fig. 2 is a detail face view of the loop-bending cam and Fig. 2 asectional view of same on line 00, Fig. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view ofthe machine; Fig. 3 a sectional perspective view of the crimpcompressiugmechanism. Fig. 4 is a "ertical cross-section on the line 0 c, Fig. 2.Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section on the line 0 7.", Fig. 2. Fig. 6 isa detail edge view, partly in section, of the crimp-contractingmechanism; Fig. 7, a detail edge view of the toothed wheel carrying (Nomodel.)

part of the crim p-contractin g mechanism. Fig. 8 is a diagram showingthe wire after it has been crimped and before the crimps have beencontracted. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing some of the crimps alreadycontracted. Fig. 10 is an enlarged face view, partly in section, of thecrimp contracting mechanism, showing some of the crimps contracted andsome not. Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-section of the machine on the lineIt L, Fig. 2. Fig. 12 is a horizontal section on the lineq q, Fig. 11.Fig. 13 is a detail vertical section on the line lo q, Fig. 11. Fig, 14is a diagram of the finished wire fabric made flat, and Fig. 15 is adetail sectional view through one end of the wire fabric, showing itsupplied with a new loop. Fig. 16 is an enlarged section through thefront end of the cylinder I.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A represents the frame of themachine, and B is the main shaft, to which continuous rotary motion isimparted by suitable means. This main shaft, which is plainly shown inFig. l, is provided with three worms, to b d, which serve to slowly turnthree gear-wheels, cj Z, respectively. The wheel 0 is mounted upon ashaft,

'0, (shown in Fig. 5,) which shaft carries abroad ribbed or toothedwheel, f, into which gears a toothed wheel, 9, and a ribbed wheel, h,both of which are carried by a shaft, D. The teeth of the wheels g and hare cut alike, or nearly so, and these two wheels are'placed face toface, as shown in Fig. 5 and as indicated in Fig. 2 5 but they are setwith reference to each other so that their teeth will not coincide, butwill be somewhat out of line, so that one of the wheelsin this examplethe wheel gwill be the driving-wheel for the shaft D, and the otherwheel, h, the crimping-wheel. The wire E, which is to be worked into thefabric, is passed, in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2,between the wheels f and h, and is crimped between these wheels by meansof their teeth. Now, if the wheel h would also be directly turned bypositive contact with the teeth of the wheel f, there would be danger ofcrushing or cutting the wire E between these two wheels, and in order toavoid this I have placed the wheel g with its teeth somewhat out of lineagainst the face of the wheel h. The driving-wheel f imparts motion tothe crimping-wheel h by means of the wheel g, and not by means of directcontact with the teeth of the wheel 71-, so that the crim pin g-wheel71. itself will have no other office to perform than to give shape tothe wire. The extent of adjustment of the teeth of the wheels g and Itto each other can be regulated by means of a screw or screws, *5, thatunite with the two wheels and pass through slots in one of the wheels,so that for the different forms of crimps the teeth may be set more orless out of line. The wheelj, which is turned by the worm I), is mountedupon a shaft, F, and serves to revolve the same slowly. This shaft Fcarries a wheel, G. (See Figs. 4, 6, and 7.)

Through the wheel G, near the outer circumi'erence thereof, are fitted aseries of sliding blocks, m, which are by springs a pressedagainstastationary cam edge,0. These springs n are attached to andcarried around by the wheel G, and press against the inner ends of thesliding blocks on. The outer ends of these sliding blocks m are incontact with the camsurface 0, which is formed on an annular plate thatis firmly secured in the shell H, that embraces and in part conceals thewheel G and all its appurtenances.

Near to the inner face of the wheel G is placed, into a suitable socket,p, a springbolt, T, which has a forked end, as shown in Fig. 4:. Theupper prong of this fork, which is the farthest distant from the axis ofthe shaft F, is by the spring of the bolt r held in contact with thetoothed or uudulatin g face of the wheel G. This toothed or undulatingface is clearly shown in Fig. 7 and indicated in Fi 3, and as the wheelG revolves this toothed face, bearin g against one prong of thespring-bolt, causes, in connection with the spring of the bolt, the saidbolt to reciprocate in its socket or to fly in and out, and thereby tobring its lower prong alternately in line with, and out of line of, thesliding blocks m. To this end the lower prong of the spring-bolt 1' isranged in the same circular line or path in which these sliding blocks mare carried by the wheel G. (See Fig. 2.)

By reference to Fig. 10, which is an enlarged diagram of thiscrimp-contractin g mechanism, showing an outer face view ofthe wheel G,it will be seen that the crimped wire E, entering the shell H in thedirection of the arrow shown in Fig. 10 and along the inner face of thewheel G, has its crimps, as they are made by the wheels f l1, so spacedthat they will be taken up successively by the inwardly projectingblocks m of the wheel G and carried along by said wheel during therotation of the same. \Vhenever an uncontracted crimp approaches thebolt 0', of which the lower prong is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 10,this bolt is shot out into the way of such loop or crimp of the wire Eand prevents for the time being the further advance of said crimp, andas the wheel G continues to turn, that one of the inwardly-projectingblocks m which is nearest to the bolt 1' and approaching the samenecessarily contracts such crimp or compresses it between itself and thebolt. This is clearly shown in Fig. 10, where the bolt 0' is shown bydotted lines. As soon as the actuating-block m has approached theoutwardly-projecting bolt 1' near enough to insure the requisite degreeof compression of the crimp, the bolt is pushed in to its socket by oneof the teeth on the face of the wheel G, and at the same time theactuating-block m, which assisted in the compression just described,arrives opposite a recess in the cam-plate 0, and is pressed outward byits spring n, so as to be entirely out of the way of the wire E. Thewheel G continues to turn slowly, and the next succeeding block m, by sodoing, feeds the wire along until the next crimp ot' the wire arrivesopposite the lower prong of the bolt 1', at which time the bolt issuddenly shot forward into such crimp, taking the place which wasformerly occupied by the last preceding actuating-block m, and theoperation is then continued as before.

In order to make this part of my description somewhat clearer, andpointing once more to Fig. 10 of the drawings, I will, for the sake ofexactness, mark one of the sliding blocks m, the next one m the next oneon. The wheel G turns in the direction indicated-that is to say, so thatm follows m.

The figure shows a compressed crimp between the bolt 1 and the block m,and I wish it to be understood that at this time the bolt 0' will bedrawn out of the way of the wire in one direction, and the block on alsodrawn out of the way of the wire in the other direction. Thereupon, thewheel continuing to turn, the next block, m travels along until thecrimp within which the block m was formerly contained arrives in linewith the bolt 1', where upon the bolt 1 is shot into said crimp, forminga stationary abutment, against which the advancing block on? willcompress the crimp in the same manner in which it appears in the drawingthat the block m has compressed the previous crimp between itself andthe bolt.

The toothed wheel I, which is revolved by the worm d of the shaft B, isan annular wheel, as indicated in Fig. 1, and is mounted upon acylinder, I, which is hung in the frame A, as shown in Fig. 11. Thetoothed wheel Zcarries another toothed wheel, 8, which, as shown inFig.3, meshes into a pinion, t, whose arbor is hung in the frame. Thearbor of the wheel t carries at the opposite side, which I will call thefront of the machine, (the shaftB being at the back,) another pinion, a,which gears into a toothed wheel, '0, that is as large as and exactly inline with the toothed wheel I. The wheel 0 is also annular, but has anotched inner edge, so that in each of its notches it receives one ofthe expanding-pins J, (see Fig. 11,) and so that as the wheel 12 isrevolved it will carry these expanding-pins around and cause them tomove along the outer circumference of a stationary disk, L. This disk Lhas a cam-groove, which is inclined, as indicated in Fig. 11, and whichreceives inwardly-projecting lugs or noses from the expanding-pins J.Thus, as the wheel 4) revolves around the disk L and carries theexpanders J around withit, these expanders are pushed toward and drawnaway from the cylinder I, and in this respect the machine is so arrangedthat the expander which is directly to the left of the axis of the diskL (see Fig. 2) is pushed most outward, and that one which is to theright of the axis of the disk L is drawn farthest away from thecyliuder'I.

To the face or front edge of the rotating cylinder I are bolted orotherwise fastened a series of projecting rods, a between which areformed spaces, as clearly indicated in Fig. 13. The cylinder l revolvestogether with these projecting rods a at precisely the same ratio as thewheel 0 revolves, together with the expander-s J, and there is anexpander, J, opposite each space between two rods, to, so that wheneveran expander is pushed outward it will enter into the space between thetwo rods (6 which is in its front.

Within the circle which is formed by the rods a is also attached to thecylinder 1, as is more clearly shown in the detail view Fig. 16, a r'2g, b of metal, which ring has a roughened inner circumference, as islikewise shown in Fig. 13. This ring 11 surrounds acollar, (1 thatprojects from a stationary tubing, M, that has its supports in suitablebrackets, N, which are rigidly secured to the frame A. Through the tubeM is put another tube, 0, which carries within the cylinder I a collar,0 Through the tube 0 is put a rod, 1?, which carries at its inner end,and within the collar 0 a suitable expanding device, f made on theprinciple of a chuck, said expanding device affecting a split ring, It,which can, by means of said expanding device, be forced farther out ordrawn more together, to lessen or increase the space between itself andthe inner circumference of the cylinder I. The outer edge of this splitring has spiral grooves, screw-like, turned around it, and may alsocarry frictional wheels with roughened edges, as indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 1. The rod P can be turned by means of a handle at theouter end to suitably affect the expanding device. vBy means of asuitable other screw, 9 the disk L can be moved farther or less far awayfrom the cylinder I, so that thus access to the face of the cylinder Iis easily had, and also the distance to which the expanders are insertedinto said cylinder regulated.

In final explanation of the machine, I have to state that opposite tothe inner end of the cylinder I is attached to a stationary part of themachine the cam-plate h which terminates in the roller t as indicated inFigs. 1 2, and 2.

Before operations are commenced, a cylindrical piece, S, ofwire'netting, of the diameter which will enable it to be insertedbetween the ring (1 and the cylinder 1, is put into said space, and theexpander f is then set so as to gripe said netting and insure properfrictional contact upon said netting of the roughened ring N. This ringb being turned, turns the netting, and as this netting is being revolvedaround the spirally-curved edges of the split ring R the nettingreceives a slow screw motion in a backward direction that is to say,away from the disk L. When first inserted this ring of wire-netting isso placed that its front meshes project a short distance beyond the faceof the collar ('6 In this position the crimped wire E, which I havedescribed ashaviugbeen shaped by the toothed wheels? and h and by theapparatus G and 4*, reaches contact with the inner circumference of theprojecting portionjof such finished wire cylinder, as indicated in Fig.2.

Itwill be seen that the wire E follows the cam-edge j of the collar (1and that it is thus gradually pushed outward until its compressed loopsor crimps are passed through the projecting meshes of the finished wirecylinder which is in the machine, and when these loops have been pushedthrough the expanders move through them and enlarge them, so that theloops cannot again be withdrawn from the meshes of the wire cylinder, asindicated in Fig. 12. Those loops of the wire E which are to the left ofthe axis of the rod P receive the fullest thrust of the expander, and asin rotating the cylinder I and by the other partsof.

the machinery the finished wire cylinder is made to carry the wire Ealong with it in the direction of the arrow, the expanders are graduallywithdrawn from the expanded loops and theseexpanded loops are thenbrought in 0011- tact with the cam 7L2, and finally with the roller W,by contact with which they are gradually flattened down, as in Fig. 2and then as the screw-motion of the finished wire cylinder draws theminward they become part and parcel of the finished wire fabric.

In making this machine it is not at all essential whether the loops ofthe wire E are put through one mesh only of the finished wire fabric, asshown in Fig. 15, or whether they are put through two meshes of wiresuch as described in Patent No. 142,450, of September 2, 1873. After themachine has been started in manner described, it can be continuouslyoperated for an indefinite length of time. The wire E after it has beenlocked to the finished cylinder becomes part thereof, and increases thelength of wire fabric, and adapts itto receive new portions of thecrimped wire E as long as may be desired.

The invention is, of course, applicable to all sorts of wire-work,whether the same be used for jewelers purposes, for makingwindowscreens, or the like, and I do not limit the use of the inventionto any particular purpose.

I claim 1. In a machine for crimping wire, the combination of thetoothed crimping-wheel f with the toothed transmitting-wheel g and othercrimping-wheel h, the Wheels 9 and it being placed face to face, butwith their teeth somewhat out of line, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the crimping-wheel f with the toothed Wheel 9 andcrimpin gwheel h, and with the adjusting screw or screws *6,substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the wheel G, sliding blocks m, springs n, andcam-edge 0 with the spring-bolt 'r, the wheel G having a ribbed ortoothed face for actuating said bolt, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for making wire fabrics, the combination of areciprocating bolt, r, with rotating and reciprocating blocks m, forcompressing the crimps of the Wire in a continuous operation,substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the rotating cylinder I, carrying projecting rodsa and the roughened cylinder b", with the expansion-ring It, and withthe loop-expanders J and their carrying-cam L, and ring V, as described.

6. The combination of the stationary collar d loop-inserting camj andloop-bending cam h with the rotating cylinder I, and with a series ofrotating and reciprocating expandingtools J, ranged in a circle, andwith mechanism for moving said tools J back and forth in rotation, foroperation substantially as specified.

7. In a machine for making wire fabrics, the rotating and reciprocatingexpanding-tools J, combined with the cylinder I, which receives thefinished \vire fabric, and with mechanism for gradually screwing thesaid fabric outward, substantially as described.

8. In a machine for making Wire cylinders, the combination of apparatusfor crimping the wire and for compressing the crimps with apparatus forinserting the crimps into meshes ot' finished wire fabric, and forgradually feeding the finished wire fabric by screw motion, all in onecontinuous operation, substantially as described.

WILLIAM (3. EDGE.

Witnesses:

JOHN (J. TUNBRIDGE, WILLY G. E. SCHULTZ.

